- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai At the Gala 2019 of the US-China Business Council(2019-12-05)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai Attends Concert Commemorating the 35th Anniversary of the Establishment of Sister City Relationship Between Beijing and District of Columbia(2019-11-28)
- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tianka At the Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of China-US Student Exchanges(2019-11-22)
- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai At the Closing Dinner of the Horasis China Meeting(2019-10-30)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai Attended the the Bush China Conference and Delivered Keynote Address(2019-10-29)
- Transcript of Ambassador Cui Tiankai's Interview with NPR(2019-10-02)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai: We are doing our part to combat the opioid crisis(2019-10-02)
- Chinese Embassy in the U.S. Held Reception Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China(2019-09-29)
- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai At the Reception for the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China(2019-09-27)
- Keynote Speech by Ambassador Cui Tiankai At Vision China Event(2019-09-18)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai Speaks on current China-US Relations at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies(2019-09-13)
- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai At the Reception for the Mid-Autumn Festival(2019-09-07)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai's Op-ed about Hong Kong on Newsweek(2019-08-03)
- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai At the Reception Celebrating the 92nd Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Liberation Army of China(2019-08-01)
- 17th China Salon held in the Embassy of China(2019-07-19)
- Charge d 'affaires Li Kexin Remarks at the Annual U.S.-China Dialogue hosted by Carnegie Endowment(2019-07-18)
- The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States and Ambassador Cui Tiankai Launch Twitter Accounts(2019-07-08)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai Attended the Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of China-US Diplomatic Relations Held by the Chinese American Community(2019-06-25)
- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai At the Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of China-US Diplomatic Relations(2019-06-19)
- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai at the Ceremony of George H. W. Bush Award for Statesmanship in U.S.-China Relations Honoring President Jimmy Carter(2019-06-13)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai's Op-ed about China's Quest for Human Rights and Democracy on The Washington Times(2019-06-05)
- Remarks by Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's Statement(2019-06-04)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai Held a Reception for Students of the US Foreign Policy Colloquium(2019-05-31)
- Transcript of Ambassador Cui Tiankai's Interview with Bloomberg TV's Bloomberg Day break: Americas(2019-05-25)
- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai At the Fifth China-US Governors Forum(2019-05-24)
- Transcript of Ambassador Cui Tiankai's Interview with Fox News' Bret Baier Special Report(2019-05-22)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai attended the XXI Annual Food Festival of the Americas(2019-05-20)
- Message of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States on the Passing of Mr. I.M. Pei(2019-05-17)
- Congratulatory Message by Ambassador Cui Tiankai at the China-Utah Trade and Investment Forum(2019-05-15)
- Video Message by Ambassador Cui Tiankai at the Golden Spike Sesquicentennial Ceremony and Festival(2019-05-15)
- Showcasing Chinese culture, telling development story and building on people-to-people amity(2019-05-07)
- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai On the Open Day of the Chinese Embassy in the US(2019-05-05)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai's Op-ed on Belt and Road Initiative on Fortune Magazine(2019-04-24)
- Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Cui Tiankai At the Reception for the 40th Anniversary of China-U.S. Diplomatic Relations and the Chinese New Year(2019-02-07)
- Transcript of Ambassador Cui Tiankai's Interview with China-US Focus(2019-01-26)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai's Interview with CGTN on China-U.S. Relations(2019-01-20)
- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai at the International Symposium to Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Establishment of China-US Diplomatic Relations(2019-01-19)
- Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai at the CGCC Chinese Lunar New Year of Pig Gala(2019-01-09)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai's Op-ed on 40-year China-U.S. Relations on USA Today(2019-01-02)
- Ambassador Cui Tiankai's Interviews with CGTN's The Point on China-U.S. Relations and more(2018-12-23)
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December 4, 2019
Washington DC
Chairman Evan Greenberg,
Ambassador Robert Zoellick,
Ambassador Craig Allen,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
Good evening. It is my great pleasure to attend the Gala Dinner of the US-China Business Council (USCBC) and join so many old and new friends at this annual event.
We sometimes hear people say, business is business. But far too often, business is not just business, as economy and politics are always interwoven and interdependent. Our friends at the USCBC and American business community know this very well. The USCBC was founded as early as in 1973, six years ahead of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations, and since then it has been a pioneer and pathfinder for our economic and trade cooperation and for the overall bilateral relations. Over the past four decades, your wisdom, vision and commitment have turned into concrete and fruitful achievements in China-US relations, which will always be remembered by the Chinese and American people.
Today’s China-US relations are at a critical crossroads. Over the past year or so, our two countries have been overshadowed by the trade frictions, and our two sides are working hard to address our differences. We believe that as long as we engage in dialogue and consultation on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect, we will be able to tide over the difficulties and return to the right track of win-win cooperation.
At the same time, we must be alert that some destructive forces are taking advantage of the ongoing trade frictions. Extreme rhetoric, such as decoupling, a new “Cold War”, and clash of civilizations, are having their way here. Some people in this country are pointing fingers at the governing party and national system of China. They are trying to rebuild the “Berlin Wall” between China and the US in the economic, technological and ideological fields. They are trying to spread hostilities and even create conflicts between us. In this context, we cannot help but ask, is this a China-US relationship for which we have worked so hard for the past 40 years? If suspicion, animosity, estrangement and confrontation are allowed to grow without any constraint, what consequences will the two peoples and the whole world have to suffer?
Friends,
As President Xi Jinping pointed out, China and the United States need to get the basics of their relations right and strengthen communication on strategic issues. There is no “Thucydides trap” in the world, and the real trap will only come from misunderstanding, misjudgment and obstinate prejudice.
Since the People’s Republic of China was founded 70 years ago, led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese people has paid painstaking efforts to develop the country and blazed a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We have taken the people’s aspiration for a better life as our goal, and we have worked tirelessly to address the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development. Not long ago, the Fourth Plenum of the 19th CPC Central Committee took a major decision to uphold and improve the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernize China’s system and capacity of governance. This is for us to better cope with the risks and challenges on our way ahead, and to ensure the success of reform and opening-up, so that we will meet the goal of national rejuvenation.
At the same time, China develops to be a better self, not to displace others, and it has not the slightest interest in global or regional hegemony. Instead, a developing China is making greater contribution to human progress and will continue to do so. We hope to work with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind. In this context, we look forward to working with the United States to develop a relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability and achieve its sound and sustained growth. This is for the interests of the two peoples, for the world and for our shared future.
Facing today’s China, will America opt for mutual respect and win-win cooperation, or will it go for zero-sum game and a lose-lose scenario? Facing the collective rise of developing countries, will America choose to welcome more cooperation partners, or will it be single-minded about rivalry and resist this historical trend? I hope that our American friends will make a wise choice.
Here, I feel it necessary to mention the situations in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, issues of widespread attention. What is happening in Hong Kong and Xinjiang has been seriously distorted. For Hong Kong, it is most urgent to stop violence and restore order there. I believe that the business community feels such a need. However, there are people out there who are trying to challenge the bottom line of “One Country Two Systems”, and their real intention is to overthrow the country and ruin the two systems. The well-being of the Chinese citizens either on the mainland or in Hong Kong, or the interests of American companies and citizens there mean nothing to them. As for Xinjiang, it used to be a heavy victim of terrorism. Thousands of terrorist attacks happened there. But thanks to our resolute fight against violent terrorism, and thanks to our education efforts to help the people affected by extremist and terrorist ideas, no terrorist attack has taken place in the past three years. The life of local people of all ethnic groups has returned to normalcy. Facts are facts. No matter how much “fake news” is generated, no matter what absurd numbers are fabricated by those rumormongers, facts will always prevail over lies. Whatever happens, China stands firm on safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests. China stands firm on achieving national reunification, ethnic solidarity and the people’s happiness.
Friends,
Ambassador Zoellick raised the notion of “responsible stakeholder” in 2005, which has drawn extensive discussions around the world. On this planet, China and the United States are key stakeholders for world peace, stability and prosperity, and each of us is a stakeholder for the development of China-US relations. It is the social responsibility of both Chinese and American companies to stand up against anyone who tries to stir up confrontation and hatred. It is our shared social responsibility to thwart the attempt to undermine our relations, and create positive impetus to our friendship and cooperation. This is also the shared mission for people from all sectors of both countries, as it concerns the well-being of the 1.7 billion Chinese and American people, and bears on the future of our shared planet. Let’s pull together, and work for a better future for all.
Thank you very much.